The Dream (January 28, 2017)

By Becky Huebner, Nebraska Home Sales Realtor

I’ve been watching quite a bit of HGTV recently. Those dream houses seem to promise a dream life. They also come with a price.

A visit to a lender starts off the house hunting process. (We realtors have our favorite lenders, the ones we know will get the job done. If you don’t already have one, please ask us. ) They will let you know what you can afford. Dream home stars start dancing in your head. As enticing as this number may be, it may not be your actual number. What you can afford may not be what you choose to afford.

Your house is a platform for your life, part of the bigger dream. Even the most modest of homes can be your shelter and your springboard. Most of us cannot have every single thing on our dream home wish list. Keep your eye on the fact that your dream home is a part of your larger dream. Hang onto enough dollars to live that dream.

Consider what matters to you, it will help you direct your dollars toward your very own dream. (Don’t waste them on someone else’s idea of a dream.) Is it a gourmet kitchen or formal dining to gather your people in, garages to house your hobby, proximity to bike trails or schools, or a mother-in-law suite? Do give strong weight to location. Location is the one thing that cannot be modified later as dollars loosen up and dreams expand. Location can be a big plank in your life’s platform.

I’ve been watching this TV from my daughter’s home where the kitchen cabinets are not in great shape and brass hardware lingers. It is not an HGTV dream. But the floor plan is fabulous, and the neighborhood oozes Mayberry. It is the home that let’s them live out their dream.

I’m all for a beautiful home. I drool too! But I’m more for a beautiful life. Dream homes and dreams take an infinite number of forms. HGTV has their ideas, you have yours, and this little family has their own. Theirs is in the form of an itty -bitty baby who lies dreaming in my arms.